An auto accident claimed the life of an individual near Piedmont over the weekend.

According to reports Mark J. Howell of Hokes Bluff, 66, was driving along Alabama Highway 9, around 4:15 Sunday afternoon, when he lost control of his 2013 Ford F-150 – when he ran off the roadway, struck a ditch, and then hit a tree – dying at the scene.  Authorities say he was not wearing a seat belt at the time.

That wreck occurred near mile marker 7, approximately 7 miles south of Piedmont in Calhoun County.

The wreck remains under investigation.